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Pimlico Summer Festival

On 12th July the music department was part of Pimlico Academy’s Summer Festival, a celebration of all the arts. There were performances throughout the school day, the after school events included a joint Music and Drama project with the ENO, then an Art and Technology exhibition, followed by a music concert.

The concert saw the Jazz Choir, Choir, String Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz Band, Rock Band, Synth Club, Trubači and all Steel Pan Bands perform as well as a special performance from the Staff Steel Pan Band to end.

Throughout the year, the Music and Drama departments have had the opportunity to take part in the Opera Squad programme with the English National Opera (ENO). Throughout the year, students and teachers across the school have engaged with the work of ENO, exploring the world of opera, taking part in workshops to develop their creative voice and enhance performance skills, and attending performances, rehearsals and backstage tours at the London Coliseum.

This year a group of Year 10 music and drama students open this year's Festival with a performance of their own devised Opera. The performance was the culmination of two workshop days where students devised the text, wrote the songs and prepared for the performance.

The group attended ENO’s production of Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream earlier this year and used it as a stimulus for writing, composing and devising the new piece of music drama. They worked with a professional composer and director to write their own text, set it to music and develop this performance inspired by the characters and themes from the opera. They performed alongside the ENO soprano Charlotte Beament who played the role of Tytania in the devised opera by the students.

The Year 10 textiles class also designed and crated part of the costumes for the performance, which will go towards their GCSE coursework.

Pimlico's Head of Music, Ms Elis-Williams, said:

"The final performance was excellent, an outstanding devised and rehearsed performance. The whole performance was created in just two days! It was a wonderful way to start the Summer Festival, which saw a celebration of all of the Arts at Pimlico Academy.

Many thanks to all the parents, carers and friends for attending our concerts throughout the year and for your support of the students’ musical education. We look forward to welcoming you to our concerts throughout the next academic year."